WCP409

[1]

Parkstone, Dorset

Nov^r 1^st 1892

My dear Annie

We were glad to hear that you arrived all safe at Malvern. I hope you are now enjoying some walks as we are having a few fine days. Last Monday Thursday I went to Mrs Dugmore’s to lunch to meet Sir Reginald Palgrave¹ & Lady Palgrave; Mr & Mrs Watkins were there & Dr Allman² & Miss Travers. Sir R[eginald] is a common-place sort of man, and as, after lunch, they all got talking "Primrose League" — I departed as soon as I decently [2] could.

We got back in to the study yesterday (Monday). With the new window & new bookcase & fresh arrangement of my writing table it looks much larger & is much more cheerful & convenient. The pictures rearranged themselves without any trouble, and there is now plenty of room for some years [for] new books and periodicals. Yesterday afternoon I went to tea (by invitation) to Mrs Barne’s as Violet³ was at her modelling ^gymnastics. Mary enquires after you. Only the Nichols, Mrs Cooper & the Pocock’s and Mrs Maitland there.

[3] The Huddlestones have taken a furnished house at Bournemouth near the W. station for a month or two. They go there on Friday. I send you copy of "Natural Science", for Miss Shaen, chiefly an account of the beautiful photographs of coral-reefs in it, the first I have ever seen. You can look at them with a magnifying glass. It is a duplicate and need not be returned. I will send you the "Fortnightly" as soon as we have read it. Your ferns are all right. We had a very hard frost about a week back but it did not do [4] us much harm.

I have sent Will⁴ a letter to go to London Library, but have heard nothing from him yet. I hope you are having cold baths every day & wet sheets at night to strengthen your constitution, besides half a dozen bottles of Malvern water daily. We had the Huddlestone’s to tea on Sunday, and we are going to supper with the Nichols on Friday. Feeding goes on regularly as per usual. No muffins yet. Buns instead. Two efforts at lemon pudding. Not yet successful. Kind remembrances to Miss Shaen.

Your ever affectionate | Alfred [signature]